The Corruption Of Power
by LBrookes
Summary: A new power is rising and once again the world is at threat. The gang are called upon to prevent the initiation of a new chaos, but if this new evil manipulates people according to their strongest desires and fears, do they even stand a chance?
1. A Needed Reunion Between Old Friends

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A/N: Okay I'm going through phases on this, I'll update when I feel like it, but if you really, really, really want me to update soon I'll make a special effort after getting five reviews.

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DISCLAIMER: Opps, forgot this first time I uploaded. Final Fantasy VIII belongs to Squaresoft, not me but I came up with the idea for this story so DO NOT STEAL!

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THE CORRUPTION OF POWER

CHAPTER 1 – A Needed Reunion Between Old Friends

Ellone glanced at herself in the mirror for one last time, and then to ensure every-thing was satisfactory stopped to examine herself fully. She smoothed over the folds in the red silk and reached up to re-adjust the purple chopsticks holding her hair into a bun. 

She had bought the dress from Itixe, although only really being recently being acknowledged as a village, Itixe already had an amazing reputation for enchantment. How that reputation had been forged seemed evident in the way the light flowed over the dress. It caught the setting sun in ways that as she moved it looked like flames were flickering up the length of the material and made her plain brown hair look so much more than it was.

Leaning a bit closer to the mirror she checked that her make-up was in order. She was satisfied with her eyelashes; she had used a toothbrush to make sure her eyelashes hadn't clumped together. Her eye shadow was a light brown as was her lipstick, and it made the way the light caught on her dress seem even more effective. Those both looked fine too. "How are you holding up in there Ellone?"

"Fine Uncle Ward, I'm coming." She said straightening herself back up again and for the last time running her hands over any folds that may have dared to form while she was checking over everything and struggling, she restrained herself from touching her hair or her make-up again.

Further restraining herself from cynically glaring at herself in the reflection, she stepped back from the mirror and went to open the door. Closing the door behind her, she stood ready for judgement from her two guardians.

"How do I look, you don't think the make-up is to much, he's not going to think I'm a punk because of all of it is he? What about the dress, it's meant to be nice, but I don't know, do you think it reveals too much or if it…"

"Don't worry, everything will be fine Ellone, you look picture perfect."

"Thanks Uncle Kiros, but it's been such a long time and I know he's called and stuff." _Still young enough to get away with saying that word._ Kiros mused. "And I guess I just really don't want to disappoint him."

"Laguna's Laguna." Ward chuckled. "I really wouldn't worry about it, he wouldn't have changed a bit, not even after all this time. As for you, he loves you and even if you had bright purple make-up on and a dress that cost far too much for the amount of material it had, he wouldn't stop loving you."

Ellone smiled resigning. It was true, Laguna couldn't change for the world and she knew he cared about her, after all, he when through the whole of Esthar looking for her. 

Slowing her mental worries for herself Ellone examined her two guardians. The occasion wasn't anything so formal that Kiros and Ward felt compelled to wear tuxes but none-the-less they had both made an effort to look good. Kiros had his hair re-braided back tightly with a couple of oriental beads and threads weaved into it and both he and Ward were both in formal clothing.

Ellone's stomach started to churn again as the three made their way down the stairs and further down to the restaurant. While she was scanning the tables Kiros and Ward were chuckling to themselves about their little escapades with her father. Ellone's eyes visibly lit up when she saw him and she gracefully ran her way across the hall to him, her eyes watering ever so little.

Of course Ward was right. The other two made their way down to the restaurant and met up with the journalist, who while waiting had managed to catch the attention of one of the waitresses. Now he was scratching the back of his head, smiling uncontrollably in attempt to hide how nervous he was. After the exchange of greetings and hugs, and the waitress wondering off, the four caught up on the events of the past eight months and ordered huge amounts of food for which Laguna insisted on paying for. 

Unfortunately he couldn't stay forever, he had to leave for Timber before the morning and after a final coffee the group grudgingly said their goodbyes.

That night Ellone lay awake, it wasn't as though the beds were uncomfortable, though she did miss her bed at home, it was just that she was thinking too much. It was great to see Laguna, to see that he was rekindling his career as a journalist and that it was going well, it was just… he was so selfish, he hardly ever checked up on them! Okay he had taken the time to see them today and he had genuinely seemed to be enjoying himself, but she wished that he were around more. Okay, maybe now that she was older being crowded by a father figure was embarrassing, but still, she wished that he was around more, maybe not babying her but just knowing that he was around would have made her feel more comfortable. And she knew that there were times that Kiros and Ward would much rather be out fighting monsters or just having a good time with her father than watching over her. 

She was silently pondering, though the thoughts in her head could have drowned out any noise. Still, she heard the door buzz when and incorrect code was entered. She got up, pulling back the duvet and cautiously called out. "Uncle Kiros, Ward?"

There was silence and Ellone sat and waited. It could just have been someone who had accidentally gone to the wrong door and had now worked that out, but because of memories from her childhood she had suddenly become very jumpy. Despite these memories she managed to lie back down and get to sleep. The little event had made her loose her trails of thought and although she was now thinking about something else, this trail of thought wasn't strong enough to keep her from sleeping. 

In the middle of the night Ellone woke up needing a drink. She pulled back the duvet and swung her legs over the edge rubbing her eyes in preparation for the bathroom light that… was already on? She was certain that it was off when she went to sleep and as far as she knew she didn't sleep walk.

Slowly she climbed out of her bed and made her way to the bathroom, not really knowing what she'd do if there was someone there, but hoping that she could just get her drink and go back to sleep. "Hello?" she called out nervously.

__

Great Ellone, let the strange person know that you're awake. But the noise that she expected to come from the Bathroom came from behind her. She heard the swish of something slicing through the air and then her grasp on reality slipped.


	2. Something's Missing

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A/N: Woo, a new chapter and I didn't _have_ to write it because people demanded, which, okay would have been nice, but at least I wasn't forcing this chapter, which would have meant that it wouldn't have been any good. Anyway please Read and Review

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DISLAIMER: DISLAIMER: Blah, blah, blah, FFVIII doesn't belong to me, Seifer does, (lawyer's glare) I mean urk, he belongs to Squaresoft as do the other characters, but the story is mine so I can do what I want with them, mwahahaha, eeps (I didn't know lawyers could run so fast). 

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THE CORRUPTION OF POWER

CHAPTER 2 – Something's Missing

"Hey Squall, have you seen Rinoa around?"

"No, but to be honest I've been so busy with Selphie, organising things for the Summer Concert, that I've barely had time to notice anyone." Squall replied for the blonde instructor.

"Really?" Quistis said somewhat down-heatedly, she really needed some advice and none of the others really seemed appropriate to approach and for some reason she never seemed to be able to get hold of the brunette sorceress. "She certainly has a lot more support behind her this year than she did the last."

"Hmm, it's probably because she is also raising money for Trabia and because all the Gardens are involved, especially Esthar, you know how much funding that place seems to get." Squall mused. "If I see Rinoa around I'll tell her that you are looking for her."

"_If_ you notice her." Quistis pointed out. "You wouldn't know if she was avoiding me for some reason would you?"

Squall smiled "Don't worry Quistis, that girl is so spoilt that I think you'd know if you were in disfavour." Somehow, even though the others felt the same way about her Squall felt better about voicing his opinion of Rinoa. It had been a while since he had confided in anyone about how he felt about anything, but with the groups help he was getting to be what Selphie insisted was a 'normal' teenager. "I'll pay special attention to keep an eye out for her for you. What did you want to see her about?"

"I just needed to ask her advice on something." Squall raised his eyebrow in curiosity. "Don't pry Squall, I'll see you around."

"Okay."

It was during that week that Squall noticed that Rinoa hardly seemed to be around. He left a message on her PHS but a week later he still had no response and hadn't heard from her or even of her being around. Some of the younger students had started some nasty rumours. He decided to check her dorm to see if there were any recent signs of living. On his way he encountered Nidia who had been looking for the girl since Thursday. After knocking and failing to get a response, they used a Master Key-card to unlock the door. As they walked in though Xu came running behind then yelling at them to get to the Quad because a large fight had broken out.

Sighing both Squall and Nidia followed Xu to the reported incident, all being in the duty of running a Garden.

#Galbadia#

"Where could she have gone?"

"I don't know, Ellone is far too sensible to go off anywhere on her own without leaving a note." Ward stressed.

It had been two hours since he had woken up to find Ellone gone. Kiros and he were worried from the start, but decided that maybe she had gone for a swim in the Hotel swimming pool or something and had been courteous enough not to wake them. However, the half-hour that they had intended to wait for her to return had extended to an unreasonable time.

"Maybe she followed Laguna."

"I guess, but how can we found out?" All this stress was going to make him loose his voice again.

"The man hardly ever answers his PHS and Ellone might not have revealed herself to him yet. Hyne, she might not even be with him. Where is she?" Kiros started pacing briskly back and forth in worry.

#Elsewhere#

Slowly Rinoa opened her eyes. _Where am I? Won't someone please turn off that bright green light? _There was something around her and it made her eyes sting, not much but enough that every now and then she had to blink away the feeling while her eyes adjusted. Slowly the glared became more tolerable and Rinoa managed to take in more of her surroundings. She choked on the air being fed into her lungs when she realised that she had a funnel down her throat. Frantically she searched the area. 

She was in a vertical glass tube surrounded by some kind of liquid that was too green and thick to be water but then she had no idea what it was. Other than the funnel down her throat were tubes slipped into her arms and legs, each with some clear liquid in it but each was coloured differently. 

She had been stripped from her clothing but she ached too much and all these wires restrained her from moving to cover herself. Her hair was floating around her in the gel and every now and then a bubble would float slowly up through the green substance to the top of the jar. 

Looking around she saw that the luminous green glow came from a rectangular light above a door in front of her confinement and out of the corner of her eye she could see other tubes filled with the translucent green substance to the sides of her own. 

The one to her right seemed to contain a dog-shaped creature with a funnel over it's snout? No it was larger than that and a red and orange colour that was too fiery to be attributed to any other animal except maybe a Moonba. _Why is there a Moonba here, Hyne why am I here?_

She could feel the tears start to leak from her eyes and the panic and loneliness that she felt when she was going to be taken to the Sorceresses Memorial set in. Blinking her tears away into the liquid she looked at the tube to her left. This one also seemed to contain something, this one a more human shaped form and she was sure she recognised it. It was a tall female with shortly cut brown hair.

Like herself, this girl had tubes inserted into her body that the Moonba didn't. Frowning her eyebrows in concentration Rinoa closed her eyes to rest them from being open in the stinging gel and from straining to look to either side of her. She ached and felt weak and it seemed that until someone came before her all she had to entertain herself was the puzzle of where she had recognised this form from.


	3. A Well Scheduled Scheme

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A/N: Well, what do you know, another chapter. I'm not doing so badly on this after all. Still, being back in school and having limited access to a computer without someone hovering over my shoulder and making me paranoid means even if I do write a chapter it may be a while later that I actually type it up and upload it. Thanks for the reviews **CONSTRUCTIVE CRITISIM IS WORSHIPED**.

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DISCLAIMER: (Lawyers hover over shoulder), FFVIII belongs to Squaresoft as do the characters, evil lawyers, go pester someone else.

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THE CORRUPTION OF POWER

CHAPTER 3 – A Well Scheduled Scheme

"Ugh." Zell groaned.

It had been yet another hard day working on the restoration of Trabia Garden. It had, again, been bitter cold and if that wasn't enough he was far from used to working in a large duffel jacket. He now ached from lifting bricks, he ached from having to manoeuvre around the feathers in his jacket and he ached from the lack of the feeling of holding someone in his arms. Okay, no offence to Roary, but a stuffed Torma, just didn't feel the same. "Mmm."

And it _really_ didn't help much that Irvine was giving a now semi-unclothed Selphie a neck-rub and that she was making the strangest noises. 

Sighing, the blond pulled back his jacket and clambered into his sleeping bag. Hopefully the area was sheltered enough that he could do without the uncomfortable feeling of having that jacket around him to keep him warm. "Oh, that feels good."

Now if only the wind was so strong that the noise it made was strong enough to drown out the noise that Selphie was making, but not so strong something would collapse or the area get colder.

#The Next Day#

They'd had donations and numerous volunteers, and as part of the 'Service and Teamwork' sector of the curriculum Balamb, Galbadia and Esthar Gardens had sent numerous would-be SeeDs and qualified SeeDs to aid the progress of the restoration. But now the donations were decreasing to a small trickle and the motivation to work was quickly draining. About three classrooms and six halls of residence had been built. Some of the teaching had resumed, and for training and experience pupils would fight the monsters on the Snow Fields, but always with two qualified SeeDs. Of course for the few who were arrogant enough to go out anyway, Zell had bitterly argued that day, '"If they were stupid enough to go out on their own like that whether or not they got killed, they would never make SeeDs."'

As much as she loved helping people, as much as she enjoyed being with her Trabian friends, Irvine's massages only did so much and even she was getting sick and tiered of this place and the endless rubble. "Urg, I need a vacation." She moaned more to herself than anyone else."

With a nod Irvine agreed wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

That morning their request was answered. Squall had called on the PHS asking whether or not any of them had seen Rinoa. Selphie had told him that when she announced that the Summer Concert wouldn't go through, there was more than enough volunteers form the SeeD candidates to organise everything themselves, and that if anyone would have seen the dark-haired girl, it would be one of them. Selphie reassured Squall that she would ask around and solve the mystery of the disappearing Sorceress. 

Yet another week passed and Selphie had a little more to do with searching and a few more excuses to disappear for unknown amounts of time with a certain cowboy but none of Squall's contacts had seen the girl. Selphie and the rest of the 'Orphanage Gang' (which included Rinoa, though obviously not for this voyage, and excluded Seifer, unofficially), as she had name them, literally leapt at the idea of searching the globe for Squall's ex. The hyper teen made sure that everyone packed lots of emergency supplies and the following day, after everyone had reassembled at Balamb Garden, they set about boarding the Ragnarock.

No-one really questioned the fact that it was Selphie, the permanently sugar-high teen who requested an unnecessary amount of back-up supplies.

~*~

The first stop was the orphanage, Edea and Cid didn't have a PHS, nor did Rinoa, she usually used the ones on site, and after the incidents of the two years past the married couple had wanted to stay shied away from the rest of society. They still feared retaliation from those who protested against Edea's rule under Ultimecia's rule. 

Unfortunately a very 'unexpected' error occurred in the Ragnarock's gravitational stabiliser over the southern continent desert. Although Edea and Cid themselves wanted to be far from any major establishment after the events two years ago they had insisted that all the Gardens and any form of transport they used have PHS communications. This meant that if in trouble a team or Garden would be able to call upon help. However, this was costly and time consuming and very 'inconveniently' the Ragnarock still hadn't been installed with this mode of communication, and 'unfortunately' Squall's PHS, the only one the group had bothered to bring with them, battery had run out. How inconvenient, oh yea her plan was going perfectly. 

The ginger girl had sabotaged the gravity stabiliser so that after flicking a certain combination of switches the system became distorted, really quite complex, but nothing that would require a lot of work in fixing. Flicking the combination of switches could be dangerous at a high altitude, but Selphie was known for flying dangerously low. When she flicked the combination of switches the Ragnarock barely clipped a cliff. The Ragnarock crashed on the sand above it and stopped without any disastrous consequences. The show was dramatic enough that no one questioned the sincerity of it.

After recovering the short teen reported the problem to Squall and the others. The leader himself had no desire to fix anything and Irvine specialised in women so logically, he didn't have a clue about anything else apart from his sniper rifle. As for Zell, everytime he got close to solving the problem someone would 'conveniently' insult hi, which involved name calling, running around a bit and Zell conveniently loosing his trail of thought regarding fixing the Gravity Stabiliser.

Eventually Squall decided that Zell's attempts weren't getting anywhere so they'd walk their way to Edea and Cids. After all Cid had designed the Gardens, surly he'd have enough supplies and know-how to sort out the Ragnarock.

So gathering all the supplies that they could carry Squall, Quistis, Zell, Selphie and Irvine along with Seifer, Fujin and Rajin set out for the Kramers.

Despite their rivalry Squall, with heaps of persuasion from Quistis, Selphie and Rinoa had decided to readmit Seifer into Balamb Garden on the condition that he passed the next SeeD test. Fighting had been his life and so Seifer worked in the few months he had to prepare. He had successfully managed to handle a dangerous herd of monsters threatening to trample Itixe and slowly, very slowly was managing to gain a more respectable position in the Garden. He was currently a teaching assistant under Instructor Trepe, which he resented, but he knew that Squall didn't like the idea of readmitting Seifer and that Squall wanted to keep an eye on him. 

Alas being constantly monitored by the group Seifer had even got to the point where he could tolerate the they and they appeared to tolerate him. Except for Squall, he was a slightly different matter. 

Selphie had invited him on this stupid escapade and cryptically hinted at…something. She also informed him that he could bring Fujin and Rajin along. She knew that Seifer didn't feel comfortable around the rest of the group, especially without Rinoa to protect him (not that he needed her to protect him), and she intended to do something about it.


	4. Zell’s Journal Entry: Day Three of the J...

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A/N: Ah, I'm so proud of myself, I now have four chapters but my progress is beginning to slow again and I'm not so sure how often I'll be able to update. Therefore again I say, if I get five reviews for this chapter I'll make an extra effort to write, type and upload the next chapter.

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DISCLAIMER: FFVII belongs to Squaresoft ©, but the story belongs to me along with Itixe.

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THE CORRUPTION OF POWER

CHAPTER 4 – Zell's Journal Entry: Day Three of the Journey to the Kramers

Day Three of the Journey to the Kramers 

Yuk, I hate this place, there is still sand as far as the eye can see and the damn stuff gets everywhere. Anyway it must be fairly obvious how bored and tiered and hungry, oh Hyne, I think I could eat ten times more the amount of hot dogs I would on any usual day. Right now though I think I'd be happy enough to so much as see one; one inside one of those gorgeous bread buns Ma bakes and with loads of tomato sauce and fried onions with it. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

Great, okay hot dogs are my favourite food and I would go through the elimination of one hundred Ultimacias right now. I am far from having the time of my life because now I am writing on a pathetic little book of bound paper that I called Joey the Journal. Hyne, that sounds like something Selphie would name…anything. A bound collection of sheets of wood pulp that I have barely given as second glance to, yet alone write in for three years, not even the compression of time drove me this far.

And Seifer, the idiot won't leave me alone. We had made camp for the other night and I had gone down to the river to start washing my clothes. (**A/N: **Okay so there isn't any rivers in this continent but if I change that no one's really going to notice, right?) I needed to get the sand and Jelly-eye (**A/N again: **Eek, I couldn't remember their proper name, but I think I'm close) gunk out of them otherwise it would take forever to get the stains and the smell out. I doubted that washing them in the river without any soap or anything would help much. I got a lecture of Quistis about the damage I may do to the area if I did use any soap and then Seifer piped up about me being some damn housewife. After numerous insults like 'Little Miss Zelly' being dedicated to his, slash that, her work and that as motivation I could grace myself by washing his clothes too. 

He's such a fucking jerk and that was just one event in the past two fucking days where he had tormented or ridiculed me making me feel like an idiot. I can't believe Squall let him back into the Garden, I can't believe he made it as a SeeD, I can't believe Selphie invited him and his cronies on this pathetic little escapade.

This is some well-orchestrated scheme; Selphie crashed on purpose to slowly drive each of us insane by making us wonder in endless circles. I'm too frustrated to write anymore.

-Zell

"You seem down." Sephie stated sitting down on the log next to Zell.

"Well, yea." He snapped. "We've only just go out of the desert region, we have virtually no supplies, the shower hasn't been set up once to help me get rid of these damn grains of sand and I have to endure seemingly endless torture from Seifer!"

"Don't worry, we'll be there soon."

"You mean in another seven fucking days." Zell corrected.

"Don't let it get to you Zell, just think when this is all over, we can go back to Trabia and finish the building there." Irvine smiled as he sat beside Sephie and wrapped an arm around her shoulders drawing her nearer.

"Great just what I want. Let me know if the two gun-bladers ever catch anything to eat." Zell ordered going to sulk in his poor excuse for a tent.

"What's got him so uptight?" Irvine asked quietly.

"Seifer."

"Seifer?" the sniper chuckled, "Those two are so lost."

"Yea, I know, that's why you, Irvy are going to help me to help them find their way."

Smiling down at her face filled giddily with the excitement of a challenge he asked. "What are you planning?"

"Well…" 

Selphie was actually very subtle in her methods. It usually never took more than the odd hint here or there to put the wheel of her plan into motion. Well, if all else failed Selphie being Selphie could get away with making a very obviously suggestive comment and get away with people thinking that her interpretation was merely from her innocent point of view. 

"What about that?" Irvine asked motioning, but not loosening his grip on his prize, to the two gun-bladers trying to catch fish in the water.

"That's nothing to worry about. At the start it was only rivalry, at points that also was accompanied with hatred and anger, but they're to similar and despite the way her talks about her sometimes, Squall still has fallen for our missing Sorceress. If she were here I'd have two tasks on my hands, getting Seifer and Zell together and the same for Squall and Rinoa."

"Phew, I'm just glad _I'm_ not in any of these schemes."

"Don't worry I have plenty for you to help me with."

"Please tell me this doesn't involve playing a saxophone for hours on end so some strange repetitive re-mix of Eyes on me."

"Hey, not a bad idea."

"Sel-phie" Irvine whined.

The ginger teen pulled herself out of the cowboys grasp and straddled his legs so she sat facing him. Then she flung her arms around him and buried her head in his shoulder. "Ow, Sephy."

"You won't have to play an instrument this time because you have the most amazing voice Irvy." Selphie complemented him loosening her grip a bit so he could breath.

"You think so?"

"Of course. Will you sing for me then?"

__

Damn she's good. "Only for you Sephy." He purred into her ear.

"Okay, now all we have to do is find a song." She said jumping of the sniper's lap and started running towards the two amateur fishermen.

"Sel-phie, that's not what I meant." Irvine yelled after her scrambling off the log that he was sitting on to catch up with her before she bound him to what he said by a verbal announcement.


	5. Humor on a Journey does Everyone Some Go...

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A/N: Wow, an update! Actually it's more of a half-hearted update, because I can't actually remember what I wrote. Whatever it is (maybe I'll read it later, I just wanted to post and get another chapter out of the way) let me know what you think of the direction in which it is headed and most importantly, how to improve.

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DISCLAIMER: FFVII belongs to Squaresoft ©, but the story belongs to me along with Itixe…and anything else I may decide is mine at the spur of the moment, like the chocobos, I need to get myself one of those.

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THE CORRUPTION OF POWER

CHAPTER 5 – Humour on a Journey does Everyone Some Good / Day Four, the Voyage to the Kramers

This was hell, okay so he had Rajin and Fujin to keep him company, but those two were slightly more occupied with each other to always be around to keep him entertained, not really that they should have too. Problem was he was stuck on this fucking continent, stranded with few supplies and stuck with a group of adolescent lunatics who had no better idea where they were going than he did. 

It certainly wasn't his best life experience, the situation reminded him of the eight month period before Ultimecia brain washed him.

There were still some events that made life here a little more endurable, like Squall's feeble attempt to catch fish and teasing Zell about rubbing Jelly-Eye gunk into his shorts as opposed to washing it out. However, these events were few and far between and if he wasn't seething in anger at a comment someone made thinking he didn't hear, then he was bored, wandering aimlessly around the area wishing he were on the Island Closest to Hell to face the challenge of a Ruby Dragon. Right now he was in the 'angry because I'm bored' stage. 

__

Maybe showering will help to wash away all this anger. "Selphie, where is the porta-shower, I want to put it up?"

This raised eyebrows from everyone on around the camp, each of them had pretty much avoided the work load involved with setting up the shower because of the work load and the fact that the damn piece of equipment would then need to be packed away again in the morning. "Okay, but why don't you let Zell help you? By the look on his face I'd think that he doesn't believe that you can do it on your own."

"That Chicken-wuss, don't know shit." Seifer muttered under his breath. "So where is it?"

"I think it's in a capsule in the back of my tent." (**A/N: **Yes, I know a DBZ reference, but it's convenient.)

Seifer made his way back over to the orange tent and clambered in. "Where is it?" he called back through the waterproof fabric.

"Where are you?"

"At the back of your tent." He called back in response.

"Okay, try under my sleeping bag."

"Which one?"

"The yellow one, silly."

A ruffling sound could be heard. "I can't see it."

"I'm sure that's were I put it…" Selphie mused.

"Under the sleeping bag?" Irvine queried.

"No, at the back. Seifer, try the corners."

Again a ruffling sound could be heard only this time it was accompanied by a couple of zip sounds and bumps of sliding draws falling out their chests. "Seifer, don't you dare think of searching in Selphie's underwear draw!" Irvine ordered as the thought dawned on him.

"I was not searching through your girl's thongs Irvine, but I don't know where else to look."

"Well don't try, you have thongs?" He turned to Selphie, then… "How do you know Selphie has thongs?"

A snigger could be heard from inside the tent. "Irvine, ha, ha, ha, I can't believe, he, he, he, you keep a journal."

With that both Selphie and Zell burst into fits of laughter as Irvine rocketed of from his seat and into the tent. Zell and Selphie in hysterical laughter and struggling sounds and curses coming from Irvine and Selphie's tent woke up the others who remained asleep and it wasn't long until they too were in tears regarding the situation.

Eventually after a final grunt the sniper scrambled out of the collapsed shelter, reshaping his hat and clinging a black notepad tightly to his chest.

"Wow, who would have thought the ladies man, sharp shooter could actually have a bad hair day!" Quistis commented covering her mouth with her hand in attempt to hide a snigger from erupting into a burst of giggles.

In attempt to fix the problem Irvine brought a mirror out from one of his pockets and examined himself. His dark red hair was barely still being held by his band but even that which was still being restrained by the elastic looked as if it was highly charged with static. He walked off in a sulk in order to flatten out his hair away from the endless laughter even from his oh so supportive girlfriend. 

"Hey look, I've found it!"

"Hee hee … what?" Selphie managed to ask in attempt to actually get some air into her lungs while she rolled on the ground in a fit of giggles.

"The shower capsule," Seifer replied scrambling out of the wreckage and wrapping the material around his face like a childe does with a duvet.

__

Wow, he looks really … no way did I even attempt to think that. Okay so yea, he's attractive, hence the girls at the Garden following him like mindless sheep and Hyne he looks good, but that really isn't a word I should use to describe a guy, I mean Seifer, I mean a guy. Oh Hyne.

"So are you going to help me or just sit there with your head in your hands all day chicken-wuss?"

"Huh?"

"The shower."

__

That really isn't an image I need right now. "Sure, obviously finding the capsule alone was a taxing enough task for you."

"Hee, hee, wow, go Zell!" Selphie cheered.

"Whatever chicken-wuss."

"Great vocabulary Seifer, who knows, you may rival Squall soon." Zell mocked getting up from his position on one of the logs around the camp fire.

Gaining a "Hn" as acknowledgement for speaking Seifer wondered around for a while with Zell tagging along until they got to an area with a sort-of circle shaped wall of vegetation around it. "So what do you think Zell?"

"I think all this fresh air and lack of food is getting to me." Zell mumbled still dwelling on his prior thoughts and failing to notice Seifer's use of his first name.

"What?"

"Huh? Nothing, just this place is getting on my nerves more than you do Seifer. The area looks okay, kinda scenic."

"This place gets on your nerves more than _I_ do, guess I need to work on my technique, how about I find a large spider and drop it in the shower while you're washing?"

"Go to hell Seifer."


	6. My Knight Will Rescue Me

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A/N: Wow this update cam sooner than I thought and I've already got the next one typed, no promises as to when I'll post it though. As always CONSTRUCTIVE CRITISISM please.

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DISCLAIMER: This story is based on Final Fantasy VIII, which was owned by Squaresoft, but I do believe will now be owned by Square Enix, or whatever new name it is that they've decided to call themselves. Ixite and the plot are MINE though.

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THE CORRUPTION OF POWER

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CHAPTER 6 – My Knight Will Rescue Me

This required too much effort and this was her past, somehow it was different. It seemed more logical that sending a person back into her own past would take less effort because she could remember events, but it wasn't. Maybe it was the fact that because it was her past she only remembered certain things and her interpretations of what happed was different because she was looking at everything with hindsight. 

Somehow, she thought, she had managed it, but as before she was questioning everything. Would they recognise the message, would they know what it meant, would it help them find her, if they found her would they even be able to rescue her?

Ellone's skilled had been tuned a bit and she could tap into other people's pasts easier, she needed Rinoa awake, she had no words to offer support with the plastic tunnel down her throat but Rinoa's presence when she was awake was enough to comfort her. 

In the morning, or at least what she assumed was morning because her biological clock had woken her up, a group of people dressed in white laboratory coats and plastic gloves, Hyne the flashbacks, had reprogrammed the tubes, or something, and the liquids flowing in and out of the body changed. Well, that's what she assumed given that their colour's changed, including ones that seemed to start to drain blood. The sight alone was enough to make he pass out and when she re-awoke Rinoa was unconscious. 

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The memories, the memories, Hyne, I have to get out of here, but I can't, my muscles ache and I can barely move. I need to get out of here to bury myself away from this until someone comes…

#Watching#

"Sir, subject C has passed out, do you want us to monitor its motions?"

"Of course you fool, put the projector on and record everything."

"Sir." The attendant responded pressing a sequence of buttons.

A translucent screen appeared in the middle of the room showing what seemed to look like the travel through something. It looked like what you would expect to see if you were falling down an endless hole with multicoloured walls except every now and then a face or location would form more defined than the other colours blurring by, then almost as fast as they appeared, disappear again. 

"Now this is interesting, has it occurred before?"

"No Sir."

"You, fetch Dr Odine for me, now."

The door whooshed open and after a few footsteps echoing through the facility, closed again. The image on the screen seemed to become more defined along with a blur of noise. 

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"Squall, this isn't working."

"What?"

"This relationship, I don't want to hurt you, but you just don't respond to me. I've tried really hard to get you to acknowledge others, but all I have managed to achieve is persuade you to voice your thoughts so that people understood what is driving you. It isn't enough, I want to break up."

The tears trickled down her cheek and before he could register anything she had fled out of the door leaving a worried looking Angelo debating who to comfort. 

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There was a momentary whoosh as the door to the room opened and a guarded Dr Odine was brought in and the screen blurred again. "Fools, what took you so long?" There was no response from the two guards now staring in shame at the floor. "Idiots, prepare the playback."

Dr Odine started to examine the room's equipment and the view beyond a glass plane. "Amazing, I tried extremely hard to establish a vay to screen the girl'z thoughtz without entering her unconzciousness itself but zcience failed to provide me vid a vay of doing zo. How did you do it?"

"Science does not always provide all the correct answers to all possible questions my dear Dr." The man commented in an uncharacteristically pleasant tone.

"Sir."

Returning to the screen another picture redefined itself accompanied with the appropriate sound. However the screen was dark and only every now and then would there be the unmistakable flash of a person of scene. 

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Who is doing this, what could they possibly want with me, what kind of human would do this to their own kind? I went to the Sorceresses Memorial, but I know I could never stand being sealed all alone; I'd never use my powers against anyone willingly. Maybe that's what they're afraid of, that I become possessed or something.

Will the others notice, will Squall notice. He promised to be my knight, to protect me even if the entire world turned against me, why isn't he here? Did I hurt him that bad when I broke up with him, why can I not forget that day, because I know I still love him? If only he showed some_ response I'm only human if only I had just a small sign to show that he cared about me the way I did about him. He's so irresponsive and arrogant and all it would have taken was only comment, for Hyne's sake!_

It doesn't matter now, he's not here. 

I'm a fool, I know he'll come, he may not love me, but he has a wonderful sense of loyalty. All I have to do is wait; my knight will rescue me

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Ellone's eyes jerked wide open then forced themselves to close again as the energy drained from her almost instantly from the movement and the other contents of her jar burn at her sensitive eyes. What occurred was impossible; she could only tap into a person's past and had only just recently discovered that she could tap into her own, but only with a specific person in mind to consciously carry out the performances of the figures she watched. Somehow she knew that the sensation she just experienced was now at the time, were her abilities growing, was that possible, and was it even logical? Why couldn't people just leave her alone, why couldn't she just be a normal person with a normal life, was that too much to ask?

Rinoa was right though, Squall would come and so would the others, like knights in shinning armour from the days of old, they would come.


End file.
